On Wed, Mar 18, 2009 at 1:58 PM, Mark A. Ross <[email protected]> wrote: > I am seeking a hardware device or software that will pinpoint a network > name to its exact location.
As others have said, you need a (uni)directional antenna. Pretty much all "stock" 802.11 radios are equipped with "omni-directional", which means that radiate and receive in all directions equally (more or less). In such a configuration, a stationary radio has no way of knowing where a signal came from. By replacing the stock antenna with a directional antenna, you can "aim" the antenna. Think like the sweeping radar dishes you see in movies. My moving it around, pointing in different directions, you can monitor the signal strength. The direction the signal strength is strongest is almost certainly the bearing of the transmitter. You can get fancy and triangulate -- move to a different location, repeat, get a second bearing, then plot it on a map and see where they intersect. But given the short range of most 802.11 gear, this is prolly overkill. You can monitor the signal strength manually, by watching the indication on-screen, or I know there's software out there that will record statistics vs time, with varying degrees of sophistication. To obtain a directional antenna: http://www.google.com/search?q=directional+antenna You can also just wander around aimlessly, watching signal strength, and play "hot and cold". As signal strength increases, you're getting closer. This is rather tedious, but again, given the short range of 802.11, this may actually be practical. -- Ben ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~
